As strict carbon emissions requirements come into effect in Europe, Mercedes-Benz announces plans to roll at at least 10 new plug-in hybrid models by 2017!

The first Mercedes vehicle with a plug (aside from the fully electric B-Class Electric Drive) will be the new long-wheelbase S500 plug-in hybrid that just launched in Europe. The vehicle is slated to hit showrooms in the US and China in March 2015.

According to Mercedes, the S500 comes with the performance of a V8 and the efficiency of a 4 cylinder engine. Electric range is somewhere around 20 miles from the 8.7 kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery pack.

The vehicle will use DPS data and radar sensors to calculate how to deplete the battery as much as possible going uphill, so that it can be recharged on the way back down.

Other Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles

Following the S500 will be a plug-in hybrid version of the C-Class midsize sedan.

After that, Mercedes will roll out plug-in versions of other rear-wheel- and all-wheel-drive models including SUVs.

Johannes Reifenrath, head of product strategy and planning at Mercedes, said “On average we will bring a new plug-in hybrid to market every four months.”

The only models to escape electrification are the smaller front-wheel drive vehicles, as that would require changing the production process for the body of the car.